Australia's Future as an Energy Superpower

In the past, Australia has been able to build its successful development, its energy system and a large part of its export revenues on its enormous fossil energy resources (coal, gas). This resource blessing can become a curse if the transition from the fossil to the renewable energy age is not planned in time.
Australia is referred to as an "energy superpower", but in the future this strength will no longer be based on fossil fuels, but will have to shift to the diverse potential of renewable energies and efficiency. A rapid deployment of renewable energies combined with a massive increase in energy efficiency can make the necessary contribution to climate and resource protection.

As part of an invitation from the Australian Energy Efficiency Council (EEC), Prof. Dr. Peter Hennicke, Senior Advisor at the Wuppertal Institute, held numerous talks with high-ranking representatives of Australian energy policy in Sydney and Melbourne from 19 to 23 November 2018.
In Germany, the implementation of the energy system transformation is a joint effort and can be perceived as a contract between the generations. There are many good examples that show that the energy system transformation process is already in full swing: very ambitious long-term political goals, nuclear phase-out, technological decentralisation and citizen participation as well as macroeconomic benefits and regional resilience are the driving forces behind the energy system transformation in Germany. According to Hennicke, the German energy system transformation demonstrates the economic success and social acceptance of this challenging transformation process. It could become the starting point for a global quest for sustainable energy and more ambitious climate and resource protection.

The necessary technologies are already available in Australia, but they must be embedded in more sustainable consumption and production patterns. Otherwise, profits will be consumed by rebound effects, over-consumption and wasteful lifestyles. Peter Hennicke argues for a new efficiency and renewable energy policy to reduce undesirable rebound effects as much as possible. Individual behavioural changes to live more sparingly are also beneficial and necessary. The right balance between more sustainable consumption and production methods and their promotion through an integrated efficiency and sufficiency policy is a longer-term socio-political task.

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